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Students Step Up to Help Hurricane-Hit Areas

October 27, 2017

Senior Olivia Denson was delighted with the outpouring of donations from the Principia community.

Deeply moved by the devastation and immense needs in Houston as Hurricane Harvey swept through the area, senior Olivia Denson initially felt both compassion—and frustration. “I was constantly looking for any opportunities to help them, but I was either underqualified or didn’t have the means to get down there,” she says.

But with persistence, and a timely connection with a friend of her mother’s who has experience in disaster relief work, Olivia was able to take practical action. With the friend’s advice, she researched what were the most important items to provide. “Houston was receiving thousands of generous donations, but there were numerous things that they were not getting that were desperately needed,” Olivia says. After compiling the list—which included blankets, pillows, diapers, baby formula, pet food, and plastic utensils, among other things—“I realized I could reach out to the Principia community and ask them to help get as many items as possible,” Olivia says.

In response to her emails and notices, Principia families dropped off vast amounts of supplies in the Upper School lobby. Olivia’s family friend drove an RV filled to overflowing with these and other donations, to Houston. “To share a need and have Principians so lovingly provide was amazing to witness!” Olivia says.

Similarly, the Principia community stepped in to help relief efforts in Puerto Rico—supporting a weekend car wash fundraiser organized by seniors Jack Adler and Jeremy Fox, as their capstone project for the National Leadership Council program. (Over the years, Principia students’ participation in this four-year servant-leadership program, run by DiscoveryBound, has earned them numerous Congressional Award certificates and medals for their community service efforts.)

Jack and Jeremy (left and right in photo) rounded up several friends to help hose down, vacuum, and shine the cars—and ended up collecting more than $1,100, which they intend to donate to the First Church of Christ, Scientist, in San Juan, Puerto Rico’s capital.

All three students are proud to be part of such a generous community. As Olivia puts it, “I feel overjoyed to have helped a cause bigger than me—[but] it was the community who really showed up and made a difference!”